Articles Posted inTrucking Accidents

As experienced Phoenix semi truck collision lawyers, we are deeply concerned over the rising number of crashes involving big rigs each year, but were happy to hear reports from KPHO News that local police are taking these accidents seriously. Police in the city of Phoenix watch for anything out of the ordinary and are quick to stop semi trucks that are speeding, weaving out of their lanes, or showing any other signs of distress. Police also use special cameras to seek out truck drivers who are talking on their cell phones while driving, which is against the law in Arizona. With nearly 2,700 reported car wrecks involving semi trucks each year throughout the state, it is important for all drivers, and not just police officers, to be aware.

What Causes Phoenix Semi Truck Collisions?

There are many different causes for crashes involving big rigs on the streets and freeways in this urban center. Causes for these types of accidents are many, but most include:

Drivers going faster than the speed limit or too fast for conditions;

The semi truck being improperly maintained and the brakes giving out or not working properly;

Drivers going too many miles without rest, causing their judgment to be impaired, or causing them to fall asleep at the wheel; and

Drivers talking on their cell phones while driving.

Regardless of the cause of the accident, people who are hurt in crashes with a semi truck should call a skilled personal injury attorney for assistance.

As experienced Quartzsite semi truck collision attorneys, we are deeply concerned for all those affected by a crash reported by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) on August 8. The accident took place during the afternoon on eastbound I-10 near mile marker 63 when a tractor trailer rolled over. The cause of the rollover was not immediately available.

Police indicated that at least one person was injured, but reports did not disclose who was injured or how many people were involved in the accident. Details on the other vehicles in the crash were not released. We are thinking about everyone involved in this rollover and we sincerely hope they are all okay.

Sedona big rig accidents are among the roughly 2,700 trucking collisions that happen in the state of Arizona each year, according to reports from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). A recent study done by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sampled 963 semi truck collisions and reported that these accidents resulted in nearly 250 deaths and more than 1,650 injuries.

According to the study, nearly 80 percent of big rig collisions involve semi trucks pulling at least one tractor trailer and just shy of 75 percent involved a collision between a semi truck and another, smaller vehicle. In Sedona, around 200 car crashes happen every year, and statistics indicate that around 55 people sustain moderate to serious injuries.

We were very surprised by news reported by My Radio Place on August 2 of a collision involving a cement truck and a suburban. The collision happened at the junction of Highway 69 and Gateway Boulevard when a cement truck carrying a 40,000 pound load overturned while the driver was attempting to turn from one roadway onto another. When the truck rolled it hit a suburban carrying four people.

Diesel fuel spilled across the highway and shut down the intersection for several hours while police cleaned up the spill and attended to the crash site. Police cited the man who was driving the truck for speeding and for failing to avoid a collision. We are thinking of all those who were involved and wish them all the best.

As experienced Arizona tow truck accident attorneys, we know that tow trucks and their drivers often become secondary victims in car crashes during the clean up process, which can cause a great deal of damage and injury. Reports from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) indicate that tow trucks are involved in nearly 40 car crashes every year throughout the entire state.

These collisions account for less than one percent of the total number of Arizona car crashes that happen each year. Approximately 14.3 percent of these collisions are reported as injury accidents and the remainder results in severe property damage. Reports indicate that luckily, few, if any, tow truck accidents result in fatalities every year.

As Glendale truck accident attorneys, we want to use this December 30 accident to remind drivers what to do if power lines ever come in contact with their vehicles. In this case, a dump truck became entangled in power lines near 67th Avenue and Orangewood. Luckily, the driver did the right thing and stayed inside his vehicle until crews turned off the high voltage power. Police say that he likely would have been shocked had he tried to leave his vehicle.

What to Do In Case of High Voltage

We want to make sure all drivers know what to do in the event that a power line should fall upon their cars. Although it is highly unlikely that it will ever happen, windstorms, earthquakes, and other events have been known to bring down power lines on top of cars. If this should happen to you, remain inside your car. Do not attempt to drive away or drive over any downed lines. Avoid touching metal objects inside your car, such as door handles. According to MesaAZ.gov, the official website of Mesa, Arizona, downed power lines can be deadly. The site advises drivers to assume all lines are energized and dangerous. Never touch a vehicle with power lines on it even if someone is trapped inside and call 911 immediately.

The skilled Phoenix truck accident lawyers at the Breyer Law Offices are aware that truck accidents in Arizona happen all of the time. Although large trucks only account for 4% of the total registered vehicles in the United States, fatal crashes involving these types of vehicles reached 8%.

The trucking industry is bound by Federal regulations. These regulations aim to reduce injuries and fatalities caused by commercial truck accidents. Meanwhile, commercial truck drivers have one drawback which is that the commercial trucking laws vary from one state to another.

Truck Accident Statistics

According to the statistics compiled by Truckaccident.org, truck collisions every year resulted in 130,000 injured individuals. Injuries caused by truck accidents accounted for 22%, while about 70% of accidents resulted in property damage claims only.

Truck accidents in the United States have slowly been decreasing over the past few years. In 2009, almost 18,000 light trucks were involved in fatal crashes nationwide, a decrease of about 1,200 from 2008. Accidents involving large trucks have also declined to around 1,000 vehicles in the same year.

Based on study, truck accidents, unlike other motor vehicle accidents which are often caused by alcohol, distracted driving, and speeding are primarily caused by lack of sleep and fatigue on the part of truck drivers. In fact, only about 1 percent of truck accidents involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

An early morning truck accident happened recently which caused both lanes of Interstate 17 at Dunlap Avenue to be closed for hours (AZ Family 07/01/2011). According to report, the rollover happened around 1:20 a.m. when a truck heading north lost control, flipping over the median wall and into the opposite lanes.

The truck was carrying 9,000 gallons of fuel and created a potentially explosive situation. Hazardous Materials crews were able to confirm a gas leak but not as much as expected. The leak reached both sides of the median but responding crews had it under control. Another tanker was used to transfer the fuel from the rolled over truck.

Light trucks that are involved in crashes usually results in devastating damage. This occurred frequently in 2009, where 80.9% of accidents that involved a light truck were a collision with a motor vehicle in a transport by initial point of impact. A total of 3,194,000 people and properties were involved in the accident. The outcome of the incident resulted much on property damages only, next was injuries and the least was fatalities.

Aerial footage of an accident was recorded concerning a white truck and a white van involved in a collision. The video footage was captured in Phoenix last Wednesday.

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